Russia has made moves to decriminalize domestic violence, Politico reports. The bill passed Russia's lower house of parliament with 368 lawmakers in favor, one vote against, and one abstention.
Conservative politician Yelena Mizulina is behind the bill, claiming "in the traditional family culture in Russia, parent-child relationships are built on the authority of the parents' power … The laws should support that family tradition." Mizulina also successfully pushed through Russia's controversial "gay propaganda" law, which made it illegal to talk to minors about LGBT themes or issues, including those that pertain to health.
In 2016, Russia decriminalized assault and battery in cases that did not lead to actual bodily harm, and the move to decriminalize "battery within the family" from a criminal offense to an administrative one is argued to be an issue of consistency. If the law were to pass, domestic violence would give an offender a fine, community service, or a short term in prison. Repeat offenses in a single year could lead to criminal charges.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"If you slap your mischievous kid, you're threatened with up to two years [in prison]," Mizulina said. "But if your neighbor beats your child — everything ends with an administrative punishment. How many more families will waste police resources, while the duma discusses [the proposed changes]? … There are 20 million families with children in the Russian Federation. All of them are in danger."
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advicethe explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murdersspeed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bailSpeed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambushSpeed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrialSpeed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside homespeed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confessionspeed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulderspeed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC paradespeed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
